Shaped featherbone material and process for making same



Patented July 29, 1947 SHAPED' FEATHER/BONE MATERIAL AND PROCESS-FOR MAKING SAME Frederic W. Chamberlain and Anthony I. Klute,A

Three Oaks, Mich., assignors to The. Warren Featherbone C'o.Three Oaks, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Applicationv January 27, 1944, Serial No. 519,874

This.l invention relates to feather quill material made in. accordance with the teachings of certain prior patents to Warren, Nos. 559,827 of May 12, 1896, 311,621 of February 3, 1885, and 550,855 ofi lecember- 3,- 1895.

AmongY the objects of the present invention are to provide a supporting or stiifening material having a nonlinear portion having resilient characteristics such that the nonlinear portion will return to its set nonlinear condition when deformedr therefrom, and wherein the material is formed of slivers of feather quills disposed in substantial parallelism and suitably bound togetherso as to provide a relatively still, resilient, set,Y structure of relatively small cross' section; to provide various configurations of featherbone material set to a shape which is either Wholly or partly nonlinear and which nonlinear portionspossess inherent resiliency such that when cl'eformed from their permanent set they will returnto such set; to provide a process for manufacturing suoh shaped resilient featherbone material; to provide these' and other objects of in-v vention as will be apparent from a perusal of the followingv specification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of a single adaptation of the multifarious adaptationsY ofV the present inven` tion;

Figure 2 is` a rear View of the adaptation shown 30 inFi'gure 1;

Figure 3 is a view showing the upper portion of the curvedv featherbone form attached to the pair ofoveralls shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a view of still another form ofthe present invention;

Figure 5 is a view'of yet another form of the invention;

Figure 6 is a view showing the manner of attaching one end of the form shown in Figure 4, to the overalls;

Figure l is a view of a piece of straight featherbone material before it is given its permanent set or shape in the manner set forth in the present invention;

Figure 8- is a view of the tank or other means for softening theuntreated cords or blades sufficiently to render theglue, sizing in the featherbone soft and sticky;

Figure 9 is aview of a drying mechanismused in; heating the softened form after it is applied to'V amandrel' to .give the form the-requisitev shape;

Figurev luisa view showing the step of applying thesizingvsoluton to the top side-of the featherbone afterzit hasbeendried ena-form;

5 Claims. (Cl. 2-258) Figure 11 is a view-showing theV coiled feat-here bone removed from the mandrel, and being heated after coating;

Figure 12' is a viewshowing the manner of applying waterproofing to the form after the sizing has been applied thereto;

Figure 13 is a cross sectional view taken tra-nsversely of the form shown in Figures 4 and 5;'

Figure 14 is a view showing the featherbone in the form of a curved rod; and

Figure 15 is a View of featherbone havingv angularly disposed portions.

Heretofore ieatherbone has been: constructed as' `a stiiiening material, being formed in a straight strip and providing qualities of resiliency', the featherbone being used in corsets or ini other apparel, or in places where reinforcement is: de- Sired in a flexible fashion, and. where the material, if flexed out of its straight position, would return to such straight position.

The present invention is concerned with shaped featherbone'formspossessing the same resiliency, but which in the process of manufacture are shaped more or less abnormally with respectto the normally substantially straight feather quills orslivers in whole or in part to forms lother than straight or linear, such for instance as curve-d forms or forms with -angularly disposedl portions, `and yet which possess inherent resiliency so' that when flexed out of their set curvilinear or nonlinear con-formation they instantly return to their set form or shape.

Referring to the drawings, in accordance with the teachings of the prior Warren patents mentioned above, there is first provided a feather'- bone section 2,. such for instance as the fiat sec'- tion shown in Figure 7, preferably but not necessarily, of a section rive eighths of an inchy in width, `composed of slivers or pieces 4 of quill with the feathers removed and suitably interlaced, bound, Woven, or stitched with thread, cord, or other tenuous fastening material 6 into the generall form shown in Figure 7, which herein is shown as a straight, flat shape of relatively small cross'section. During the process this shape is sized with'v glue and suitably compacted so that the shape isV of generally uniform cross section throughout its length.

n To form the featherbone sha-pe of the present invention, itfis then immersed in .a tank 8 of luke- Warm water, or otherwise subjected to moisture and heatv for substantially three' or four minutes to make the glue sizing and the featherbone soft `and pliable. Thereafter the featherbone, While* itis moistr and-pliable, is placeduponany suitable form or mandrel I0, which mandrel is of the required shape. In the present instance the mandrel is curvilinear and forms a part of the Acircumference of a `circle. The featherbone shape is fastened upon this mandrel and allowed to dry thereon. The drying can be expedited by drying the forms while on the mandrel in the heating oven of a drier I2 which is heated by the heatwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. The herein described process which comprises binding together a plurality of substantially parallel, elongated slivers of feather quills, compacting the same with sizing into an elongated body, forming said body, While soft, to a ing element I4 controlled by the thermostat I 6. l

'I'he temperature is 90 and 120 F,

preferably set to be between After the featherbone is suitably dried on the mandrel, a sizing solution is applied to the outer side of the featherbone on the form. In the present instance the sizing in the shape of shellac is sprayed on as at I8. If desired, any type of wateiprooiing may be used tion, or the sizing may be applied by brushing onto the outside of the form, if desired.

After'the featherbone is taken. off the forms the inside ofthe shaped featherbone form is given one or a plurality of .coats of waterproofing, which may be applied by brushing on or by dipping. This waterproofing is then dried on the form, either -by heating in the oven I 2 to the same temperature or otherwise, or byany desirable drying method. This waterproong'solution gives the featherbone form an additional sizing and also a waterproofing coating. The waterproong, if desired, may consist of dissolved Celluloid scrap with ethyl acetate to which is added commercial alcohol for thinning purposes and for the purpose of making the solution faster drying when dried and run through the heater. After the form is suitably waterproofed and coated it retains its set shaped form and is ready for use.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate, at 20, one structure of the featherbone material which is shaped to provide a curvilinear or hooked end 22, and at 24 is shown another form illustrated specifically in Figure 4 as applied to the knee portions of an overall, which overall is constructed in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 2. In these forms the lowerend of the featherbone form 20 is sewed into a pocket 26 of the upper portion of the overall and the curvilinear form 2li is sewn in the manner shown in Figure 6 into the knee 'portion 28 of the overall, whereby the overall may be slipped onto the shoulder and knee portions of the wearer and will be held on by the curvilinear portion of the light featherbone shapes,`

It will thus )be seen that we have provided a new featherbone structure and process for making same, which structure is adaptable for a multiplicity of uses, particularly wherein alight, stiff, pre-shaped, resilient material is needed, and particularly one having nonlinear portions, Vfor instance curvilinear shapes and Vother shapes of various angularity which when stressed or flexed out of their normal set position, due to their own or inherent resiliency, will immediately spring back to the normal set position.

It is to be understood, of course, thatv instead of a flat shape, any desired cross section of featherbone may be provided, which includes vrods as well as ilat shapes. It is also understood that the shapes may have angularly disposed portions as suggested in Figure 15, as well as relatively curved Iportions, as shown inthe variousi'lgures ofthe drawings, and that these set shapes all have inherent resiliency whereby they returnI to set condition when strained or flexed therefrom,

Obviously the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction disclosed herein but is capable Hof other modications and changes for-this sizing operathe desired final non-linear predetermined curvilinear shape, and hardening said 'body while it is secured on a mandrel, and sizing said body while so shaped, and drying the same.

2. A featherbone structure adapted for use as stiliening or supporting material and including substantially parallel elongated slivers of feather quill, bound together, sized and compacted to a predetermined cross section, and having at least a portion thereof predeterminedly and abnormally shaped relative to the normally substantially straight feather quills and set in such abnormal shape but retaining inherent resiliency whereby to return to`abnormal shape upon being iiexed therefrom. Y

3. The herein described process which comprises binding together a plurality of substantially parallel elongated slivers of feather quills, compacting the same with sizing into an elongated body, forming said body while soft to a predetermined shape at least partially non-linear, hardening said lbody'while so shaped, then sizing said 4body'while'so shaped, and drying the same.

4.j The herein described process whichv com- .prises` binding together a plurality of substantially parallel elongated slivers of featherquill,

' compacting the same into anlelongated body;

softening the elongated body, forming the softened body to a predetermined non-linear shape, hardening the shaped body, and coating 4the exterior surfaces of the body with a sizing solution, and drying the same.

-5, The herein described process which vcomprises-forming elongated sliversof featherbone inta` parallel relation, binding the samewith a tenuous, `ilexible material, sizing the same 'into compact shape of predeterminedvcross section, softening the bound quill portions and mounting upon a` mandrel having faces formed" t0 Vproduce shape of the bound quill portions until dry, sizing the exterior surfaces of the featherbone structure while so mounted on said mandrel, and thereafter waterproofing the interior surfaces of the .feathenbone. structure whereby said structure acquires alpermanentset and possesses inherent resiliency causing itto return lto the set position when flexed therefrom.-

ANTHONY J. KLUTE.

,F v- REFERENCES errnoE y I' The followingreferences are ofrecord-llnthe file/of this patent: Y j 1 Y. l f; 1 Yl' VVUNITDSTATES Pn'rnrrrg .J,v l, Number. v Y Date- FREDERIC W. 

